A New Year Sequel to Laying Down Your Cards
by fanficaddicted
Summary: For the Babes! Takes place 2 months after Laying Down Your Cards. This is in response to a challenge from another board. The 2 challenge items involved are, Eavesdropping and a Proposal.


**Challenge #: October Challenge – Eavesdropping and a Proposal**  
**Author: Heidi (ranger.babe)**  
**Title: A New Year – _Sequel to Laying Down Your Cards_**  
**Rating:** (G to NC-17) **PG**  
**Spoilers/Warnings: All books through Twelve Sharp**

_**POV – Ranger**_

I pulled up to Plum Bail Bonds at 9:15 on a Monday morning. It was a week into the new year and this morning Trenton was bone-achingly cold. I scanned the parking lot and slipped out of the Cayenne into the cold.

When I stepped into the outer office I could tell by the smell of fresh nail polish and the bright yellow down jacket with matching bag thrown onto the sofa that Connie and Lula were in, but they were no where in sight. As I approached Vinnie's closed office door I heard muffled voices coming from inside. I stepped closer, expecting to hear Vinnie and that skank Joyce Barnhardt doing something disgusting. To my surprise the voices were those of Connie and Lula and they were talking in a low conspiratorial tone.

"Shiiit, can you believe she's pregnant!" said Lula, whose voice boomed even in a whisper.

"Oh my god, you heard!" said Connie in her nasally Jersey Girl voice.

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with Steph, said she just found out this morning!" breathed Lula.

What, Steph pregnant? Is that what she just said? I was out of town for the last week spending New Years with Julie in Miami. I asked Steph to come but she said she wanted to give Julie and me some time alone together, so we could bond. That's my Babe, always thinking of others.

I drew in a shallow breath and held it, trying to hear the conversation from the other side of the door.

"I guess she doesn't want her family or anyone else to know until she finds a way to tell the Daddy. He told her before that he doesn't want any more children" said Connie sounding sad.

Oh no, I never said that! Well, I mean I did say I wasn't going to do anything stupid including marriage and pregnancy, but that was before! Before I almost died and lost all that was good in my world. Before I realized I needed Stephanie in my life completely and set out to make that happen. I know we've only been together a couple of months, but we have loved each other for so much longer and we have been friends for years. The thought of Stephanie growing big with our child brought an involuntary smile to my lips.

"Her mother is gonna freak! She wants more grandkids but she wants them to be of the legitimate variety, born of marriage. After all, that's the Burg way" added Connie.

"I bet her Pop will be happy as long as it's a boy. He's so outnumbered by all those Plum women. Then throw Steph's Granny into the mix and that guy's got it bad! I think he'd like another guy in the Plum house, even if it's a little bitty one" Lula interjected.

A son, my son. A little Manoso boy with tan skin and my hair but with his mother's deep blue eyes. Or maybe a baby girl, with Steph's blue eyes and riotous curls. I couldn't help but grin at the thought of how beautiful our children will be.

I hadn't seen Steph yet since I flew in last night on the red-eye. I talked to her last night right after dinner and she did say she was really tired. That she had been feeling pretty run down for the last couple of days. It looks like the baby is sucking up all of Steph's energy already. Poor Steph! I'm supposed to meet her for lunch at Pino's at noon. I'm thinking now that I'll have Ella send food up to the 7th floor so I can do something special for her. With the proper mood in place, I can pull out the engagement ring I bought for her in Miami and ask her to be my wife.

With a smile still on my face, I spun around quickly to put my plans into motion and bumped right into Stephanie, knocking us both to the ground, me on top. I immediately jumped up, afraid I might have hurt her or the baby. I pulled Steph to her feet, holding her at arm's length, looking her over.

Once she got over the shock of being knocked on her ass, she shot me a brilliant smile. God, she was glowing! If she was nervous about telling me or dealing with morning sickness, she sure wasn't showing it!

Steph threw herself into my arms and squeezed me tight. I held her just as tight.

"I didn't think I'd see you until Pino's. You were supposed to be in meetings all morning" she said nuzzling my neck with her lips.

"I know, the client cancelled last minute and I wanted to pop in to talk to Vinnie about a job so I stopped by. I thought you might be sleeping in this morning since you sounded so tired on the phone last night."

"Nah, I woke up at 6:30 with my bladder ready to burst and I couldn't fall back to sleep so I got an early start to my day. I've already chatted with the girls and met Grandma and Valerie for breakfast this morning. I thought I'd check in and see if any files came in for me over the weekend." Looking around Steph asked "Where is everyone anyway?"

I was about to tell her that I thought they might be in Vinnie's office when the inner-office door burst open and Connie and Lula poured out looking a little bit guilty. They froze when they saw Steph and I who were still embracing near Connie's desk.

I spun Steph around to face them, still holding her in my arms. I splayed a hand across her abdomen possessively. I was lost in thought, stroking my hand over Steph's belly, thinking about how beautiful it would look swollen and round. I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I didn't realize Connie was speaking to me. I looked up and Steph had craned her neck around looking at me strangely.

"Did you hear what I just said Ranger? Vinnie isn't coming into the office today but he said he'll be in tomorrow if you want to talk to him then."

"Oh, ok. Thanks Connie" I said quickly.

Connie continued "Sorry Steph, no files for you. I'll call you if anything comes in."

That's a relief I thought. We'll have to talk about it but I don't think that running down FTA's while pregnant is a very good idea. I would never ask her to give up her job but I hope she'll be willing to work with me to come up with a safer solution during the pregnancy. We could use her help at Rangeman doing research, that's a thought. We'll see what she thinks.

I took Steph's hand in mine, called goodbye to the ladies in the office and lead Steph outside, seating her in the Cayenne since the weather was so nasty.

"Babe, I have some errands to run but I was hoping you wouldn't mind having Pino's in at my apartment for lunch today. I thought it would be nice to have some time alone" I said with a wink.

Her cheeks flushed, and she unconsciously licked her lips. A wicked smile curved her lips as she spoke "I think some time alone is definitely in order" she said in a sexy voice with a wink of her own. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something, so the privacy might be good."

She must be planning to tell me at lunch. I want to make it special for her. But I want to propose before she tells me. I don't want her to think that I'm only proposing because she's pregnant.

"Is everything ok Babe, you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired and there's some family stuff going on I need to talk to you about" she said with a weak smile.

"God Steph, I missed you so much! I am _so_ glad to be home!"

"I missed you too. It was tough with you away, I didn't sleep very well."

"Let me walk you to your car then Babe. I want to get my errands taken care of so we can have a nice, relaxing lunch, just the two of us." I leaned over and planted a hot, loving kiss on her luscious lips. "Zip up Babe, it's a cold one out there."

"Thanks Ranger. I love you and I can't wait to get you alone either, so go get your stuff done" she said zipping her coat up to her chin and reaching for the door handle.

I was at her door waiting to hold her hand by the time she got the door open. I wanted to be sure she didn't fall on the slippery road and more than that, I just wanted to touch her a little longer.

I walked her to her mini, tucked her behind the wheel and made sure she buckled up her seatbelt.

"I will see you at noon Babe, don't make me wait."

"Hmmm, maybe I should go home and take a nap so I'll have lots of energy for our time alone" she said on a smile.

With one last scorching kiss, she motored off in the direction of her apartment. I had work to do and I only had about two hours to do it. I was going to need to call Ella in to help. This is going to be so great!

At 11:50 I was pacing in the hall in my apartment. After every other pass I would check my pocket to be sure that the black velvet ring box was still there. I stopped mid-pace and looked up, taking in the sights around me.

Fuschia colored orchids filled the vase on the sideboard in the entry hall, their fragrance sweet and wild, just like Stephanie. Candles adorned the tables and entertainment center in the living room. Crystal candle sticks and large vases of multi-colored orchids decorated the dining room table which was set with a linen table cloth and cloth napkins. The curtains were drawn closed blocking out the sunlight. All of the lights except for the kitchen were dimmed, which, combined with the candle light cast the normally cool apartment into a rich, warm, romantic glow.

I was dressed in dark grey trousers and a cobalt blue button-up dress shirt with the first couple of buttons undone.

I glanced again at the table and hoped Steph would be happy with the spread Ella put out. Under sterling silver lids, on fine china plates was Pino's pizza with everything, meatball subs and tossed salad. For dessert Ella made her famous Death by Chocolate cake, one of Steph's favorites.

Glancing at my watch I saw it was 11:55. I was about to resume my pacing when my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. The read out said COMM ROOM. It was Tank calling to let me know Steph just pulled into the parking garage. This is it!

I opened the apartment door and waited for the elevator to arrive. The doors dinged opened and Steph stepped out looking good enough to eat. She was wearing faded blue jeans, a soft, light grey sweater, black Timberland hikers and one of her black leather jackets, unzipped.

Steph took her time looking me over while I did the same to her. Her face spread into a smile when her eyes met mine and I wasted no time folding her into my arms. I planted a hard kiss on her lips then took her by the hand, walking into the apartment.

Once we were inside I turned to lock the door. No sooner had I turned back around when Steph slammed me up against the door and went to town kissing my lips feverishly. Her hands were frantically working the buttons open on my shirt, seeking skin-to-skin contact. I grabbed her hands in each of mine and gentled the kiss, breaking away at last. Wow, can that woman kiss!

"Don't you want to eat lunch first? Ella has spread out a feast fit for a Queen, complete with Pino's and home-made dessert."

"Oh, I guess when you invited me for "lunch", you actually wanted to eat food" she said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Believe me Babe, I have plans for you very shortly, but I thought it would be nice to relax and enjoy our lunch first. And by the way, that has to be the best greeting anyone has ever given me!"

I helped Steph out of her coat, hanging it in the hall closet. I took Steph's hand in mine and seated her at the table.

"Wow, this is so formal and you're dressed so nicely, I feel like I should be wearing a gown and heals."

"You look beautiful, perfect, just the way you are."

We enjoyed our meal with minimal conversation, discussing only how great everything tasted. Steph sat back with a sigh and not-so-discreetly popped the button on her jeans. Then as an afterthought, she unzipped her zipper half way just for good measure. Hmmm, I know why your jeans are feeling tight Babe and I can't wait to celebrate it with you, I thought to myself silently.

I walked over to Steph's side of the table, helping her out of her chair and leading her into the living room. I sat us down on the far end of the couch, snuggling her tight against my side, intertwining our fingers in front of us.

Steph let out a soft sound of contentment and snuggled closer into me. Obviously having a full tummy moved her raging libido to the back burner for now.

"Thanks for going to so much trouble to make your homecoming so special Ranger. The flowers and candles are beautiful. It smells so tropical in here" Steph said looking up from her cozy spot to speak to me.

"I wanted to do something special to let you know how much I missed you. And while it was my idea, you have to give Ella all the credit for the presentation."

"I'll be sure to thank her then" Steph said.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the Nora Jones CD that was playing on the stereo and the feel of being in each other's arms again.

"So" Steph and I began speaking at exactly the same moment. We both chuckled a little at the timing.

"You go" Steph said nudging my leg with hers.

"Are you sure? You know the tradition is ladies first."

"Yeah, I'm sure" she said with a lazy smile.

I sat up and positioned us so that we were facing each other, knees close together, hands still intertwined.

I brushed a gentle kiss across the back of her knuckles and began "I missed you so much while I was away. I can't believe how quickly I got used to having you in my arms at night. I hardly slept the whole week." Steph just smiled, all ears. "It reminded me how much time I wasted without letting you into my life. I am constantly grateful that I get to share my life with you. Sometimes I still can't believe that we're together, that you actually chose to be with me."

"Ranger" Steph said firmly.

"I know Steph, just please let me finish ok?"

She squeezed my hand in silent acquiesce so I pressed on.

"I want to wake up with you every morning and cuddle against your soft body every night for the rest of our lives."

I slid off of the couch, crouching down on one knee in front of her. I saw Steph's eyes widen in surprise and she sucked in a breath and held it in.

"Breathe Babe. It's nothing to be afraid of." Funny, I seem to recall using those same words months ago when I asked her to take a chance on us.

She let out her breath slowly and flashed me just the hint of a smile. I took her left hand in mine and pulled the velvet box from my pocket.

"Stephanie Plum, would you do me the honor of being my incredible, beautiful wife?"

Time seemed to stand still at that moment. We gazed into each others eyes and nothing else existed but the two of us. Stephanie's eyes were shiny with tears threatening to spill and her bottom lip was quivering slightly. She was quiet for so long that I started to doubt her acceptance of my proposal. Just as I was really starting to get nervous, she placed her free hand on my cheek, stroking it lovingly. Then a blinding smile took over her face, tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

"Yes, Ranger, I will be your wife. I can't guarantee the beautiful or incredible part, but I would be honored to be your wife nonetheless."

With trembling hands I opened the box revealing not one but two rings that Julie and I picked out in Florida.

"As you can see Babe, I actually chose two rings for you. I wanted you to have a traditional engagement ring, that to every person who sees it, symbolizes my love and commitment to you but I know that it isn't practical to wear a diamond in a raised setting while running down skips. So, in addition to the emerald cut solitaire, I want you to have this infinity ring with the diamonds set down into the band. You should be able to wear it while you're working."

"As always Ranger, you amaze me" she said with a watery smile, "They're beautiful, just perfect!"

I slid the solitaire onto her left ring finger and slipped the band onto her right hand.

"I love you Stephanie. You have just made me the happiest man alive." We sealed the deal with an incredible kiss. Steph was the first one to pull away this time.

She was looking down at her hand, fidgeting with her engagement ring, not meeting my eyes.

"Yes, well, I hope that what I have to say won't put a damper on your mood."

This is it, she's about to tell me we're having a baby!

"I found out this morning that… Valerie is pregnant and her, Albert and the kids are going to need to move back into my apartment right away so I need to move in here, with you, today, if that's ok" she said in a rush, still not looking at me. She sat in silence waiting for my reaction.

I was in shock. That was not what I was expecting her to say, so my response wasn't the most thought out. "Wait, what did you say? Valerie is pregnant too?" I asked confused.

"Too?" Steph asked, looking a little bit shocked and maybe a little bit tense too. Her brows were raised almost to her hairline and her lips were pursed.

Then the conversation that I eavesdropped on this morning replayed in my mind.

"_Can you believe she's pregnant"_

"_Yeah, I just got off the phone with Steph, said she just found out this morning!"_

"_I guess she doesn't want her family or anyone else to know until she finds a way to tell the Daddy. He told her before that he doesn't want any more children."_

"_Her mother is gonna freak! She wants more grandkids but she wants them to be of the legitimate variety, born of marriage."_

With a sheepish smile on my face I turned to Steph to face the music. But I couldn't stop the stab on disappointment aching in my heart.

"I'm sorry Babe. I overheard a conversation between Connie and Lula at Vinnie's this morning. They were talking about how they just got off the phone with you and how _she _", I said making air quotes, "found out this morning that she was pregnant, that the Daddy had said he didn't want more kids, that your Mom was going to freak because she wanted grandkids born of marriage. I just, I assumed they were talking about you being pregnant. I'm sorry" I finished with my head down, looking at my lap.

"Is that why you asked me to marry you Ranger? Because you thought I was pregnant?" Steph asked softly.

My head shot up and I looked straight into her eyes, imploring her to understand the truth of my words.

"No Stephanie. Please don't think that. Julie and I picked out the rings together while I was in Miami. I mean, I _had_ planned to wait until this weekend to propose. I wanted to take you away for the weekend, to my cabin in Maine and propose to you there. But, I did not decide to propose to you because I thought you were pregnant. I want to be your husband Babe, more than anything. I do have to admit though that the thought of you growing big with our child has had me deliriously happy all day." I couldn't help the beaming smile that lit up my face as I thought of it again.

Stephanie climbed onto my lap, sitting sideways with her feet up on the couch. She leaned back and put her arms around my neck, threading her fingers in my hair which was now to the bottom of my shirt collar. She looked deeply into my eyes and the corners of her mouth quirked up into a smile.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that Ranger because…I _am_ pregnant."

"What? But I thought Val…" Steph cut me off by holding up her hand asking me to let her explain.

"I took a home pregnancy test this morning and I had a quick appointment at the Dr's office before I came here for lunch. The Dr. confirmed it. We're having a baby Ranger."

"The reason I was so stunned when you asked if Valerie is pregnant _too_ is because I couldn't imagine how you would have found out I was pregnant. I have not told anyone, not one person. I wanted you to be the first to know" she said with the most beautiful smile ever.

"I drove half way to Newark to buy the test so I wouldn't run into anyone I knew and today I went to a clinic that guarantees privacy so it wouldn't get leaked before we got a chance to talk about it."

"You're pregnant! Oh Babe, now I am the happiest man who has _ever_ lived!" and I crushed her to me for a bear hug and sealed my lips to hers for a kiss. My tongue caressed hers gently.

I pulled back and smiled at her and she said "I'm about five weeks along. My estimated due date is September 7th. My next appointment is in four weeks."

I put my left hand on her stomach which was still flat beneath it stroking with my thumb, my right arm curled around her back cradling her to me. "I can't believe it! We're having a baby Steph." Another goofy smile invaded my face. Steph just smiled back at me then rested her head on my shoulder while we held each other, letting the significance of the day sink in.

After some time Stephanie spoke again. "I was so afraid that you'd be upset. I didn't get pregnant on purpose. I don't know how it happened. My only excuse is that I'm Stephanie Plum. I had my period right after you and I got together and" she paused looking away from me, ashamed, "I guess that I forgot to replace my birth control patch after that. I didn't even notice that it was missing! How stupid is that?"

"Babe, please. First of all I am _thrilled_ that we are having a baby. Not so long ago I thought I would never be a father again. I thought my only chance at fatherhood would be by building a relationship with Julie. Like I have said before, everything changed that night in your apartment. And now, I want it all. I made so much progress with Julie last week, things went really well. That is all thanks to you, Steph!. You and I, we are going to have it all! And second, here I am Mr. Tough Ex-Special Forces guy, trained to be observant to a fault and I didn't notice that your patch was missing either.

Steph chuckled at that.

"Now let's stop fretting and start planning our future Steph, the future of our _family_."

"Well, I would like to get married right away. I just want a small ceremony with immediate family and close friends. I had a big wedding once because it was the Burg way and my mother went nuts planning it. But I want to do it my way this time. Is that ok with you?"

"That's more than ok Babe, that sounds perfect. I also think that it's time we start looking for a new house, our Family Home. What do you think?"

"The apartment is nice, but, you're right, it's not a family home."

Suddenly I had a thought that made my body tense. Steph looked up at me startled by my reaction.

"I'm sorry, I really am a jerk. Here I am going on and on about how I feel and I haven't even stopped to ask you one of the most important questions of all. How do _YOU_ feel about being pregnant?" I was mentally kicking myself for being so insensitive. Steph told me once that she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to have kids or not, but that she knew she didn't want them any time soon. Of course that was when she was with Morelli and he was pressuring her to settle down, but still.

She blew out a long breath then began softly "When I first suspected that I might be pregnant, right after you left, I was terrified. I mean I sometimes forget to feed Rex. And I don't exactly have a healthy diet and my job! I am constantly getting thrown to the ground, kicked at, spit on, or worse. Really, none of that is conducive with a healthy pregnancy. And you! You told me during Julie's kidnapping that you wouldn't do anything stupid, including marriage and pregnancy and I was afraid that you wouldn't want it, wouldn't want to have our baby."

"I was an idiot for saying that to you Babe."

"I know Ranger, I know. The more I thought about it the more I realized that, like you said, everything did change that fateful night in my apartment, the night I almost lost you. Then I started to think what our baby might look like, would it be a boy or a girl. And I wondered what it would be like to be a family You, Me, Julie and our baby." I squeezed her hand tight. She is such an amazing woman, she made a place for Julie in our family even before I did.

"It's just so ironic. Growing up in the Burg I was taught, practically from birth, what my life should be. That a woman's life is not complete unless she has a husband and kids and dinner on the table promptly at 6:00 each night. And I went through the motions when I married Dickie. Ok, so I never got the meal part down but I had the husband and we were working on the children part. It scares me to death to think that if I hadn't caught Dickie boning Joyce on our dining room table, I might have eventually gotten pregnant as was expected of me. I can't image where I would be now if that had happened."

"And then Joe came back into my life and after a certain point he wanted to marry me. He offered me a husband and a stable home and a family. But I didn't want it. It wasn't what Stephanie the Intergalactic Princess wanted her life to be. And then last week I started to think I might be pregnant and I spent some time trying to figure out why I suddenly wanted a life now, that I never wanted before. But the answer was easy to see. It's because of you Ranger!. You give me the strength to grown and the desire to be a better person. You support my choices and you catch me when I fall, but you always encourage me to get up again and fly.

So, to answer your question, after some serious thought and some deep breathing exercises, I am very happy that I am having a baby, knowing that we will do it together. Don't get me wrong, I'm still scared. I don't know what kind of mother I'll be and the thought of labor makes me weak in the knees but I know that with you by my side, we can do anything.

"I'm glad to hear it Babe. And just for the record, I know you will be a great mother! You have a heart of gold and more determination than anyone else I know. The rest we will figure out together."

"Now Babe, I was just thinking back to that enthusiastic welcome home you gave me when you arrived." I said while trailing open mouthed kisses up her neck. I pulled a piece of flesh into my mouth and sucked, causing Stephanie to let out a little moan. "I think we have some celebrating to do."

Steph spun herself around until she was straddling my lap. "Mmmm, I think we do have some celebrating to do." She sealed her mouth over mine, parting my lips with her tongue. Her kiss was demanding with her taking control. She pushed my head backward against the couch as she deepened the kiss. She pulled her lips from mine and moved them down to my neck, sucking and nipping her way down. Then she moved back up to my ear and started licking it, pausing to suck on the earlobe, all the while she was unbuttoning my shirt as far as my pants would let her, running her hands over my chest. Then she stilled her movements except for sitting more firmly on my lap, pressing her body hard against mine, crotch to crotch.

When she spoke, it was a seductive whisper in my ear. "Ranger, right now I want you to pick me up and carry me to the bedroom. After you put me down I want you to strip off the rest of your clothes and climb onto the bed. I plan to spend the rest of the day showing you how good it feels to fly."

"My pleasure Babe" I said as I stood up.

"Oh it will be my pleasure too Ranger, believe me" she said wrapping her legs around my back and claiming my lips again.

Wow, if this is the result of the pregnancy hormones, we are really going to enjoy the next seven months!


End file.
